The chances of saving Phobos-Grunt "very small"

13/11/2011

According to Interfax, the probability of saving the Russian space station, which was stuck in Earth orbit due to a failed attempt to get to the moons of Mars, look increasingly dim.

Item management has lost touch with the station Phobos-Grunt, which was launched earlier this week. Moscow pinned its hopes on the fact that this mission will mark the resumption of inter-planetary research.

"There have been many attempts to obtain telemetric information from the station. All of them have failed," - said a source from the Russian Space Agency.

"The probability of preservation of the station is very, very small," - said undisclosed source.

No matter what, the attempts to restore the communication with the probe does not stop. This Russian help NASA and the European Space Agency.

According to the statement of Roscosmos, the fact that reprogram the unit and send it to Mars, is only a few days. If this plan fails, it may fall to the Earth station.

Predictions about the likely time of the fall slowly going down the station range. According to one of them, it can fall at the beginning of next month, according to the other - at the end of the same next month.

"It seems to me that the probe will fall no earlier than December 3," - said the source, adding that the reduction in the height gradually.

Emergency situation occurred after the launch on Wednesday, when the engines of the $ 165 millionth station did not start and it has remained in Earth orbit, instead of heading towards the Red Planet.

The station was to make an unprecedented mission, landing on Phobos, and then take a soil sample and return to Earth.